Assistant director Nerida Groth and film curator Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd will each receive a $10,000 grant.
The Natalie Miller Fellowship has announced two recipients of this year’s grants, which recognize the next generation of women leaders achieving outstanding success at the top of their fields.
Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd and Nerida Groth will both receive a grant of $10,000 each. The announcement was made during the Australian International Movie Convention at The Star on the Gold Coast.
Nerida Groth (pictured left) is a highly respected assistant director with over 15 years of experience in major Australian and international productions including Pirates of the Caribbean, Wolverine, Top of the lakeAnd Elvis. She has worked as an Industry Programs Coordinator at Screenworks, where she co-developed Set for Success under Screen Australia’s Skills Development Initiative and delivered AFTRS’s On-Set Onboarding course. In 2024, she co-founded Generate Crew, a social enterprise that embeds crew training and wellbeing directly into productions.
Through Generate Crew and the development of a practical framework for the Skills Development Officer role, she ensures that crew training, wellbeing and professional growth are appropriately valued and prioritised. This grant will support Nerida in strengthening her leadership and HR capabilities through mentoring and targeted professional development. A key part of her project is a trip to Los Angeles, where she will meet with major studios to highlight how early budgeting for crew development and training can benefit productions and strengthen the local workforce.
Nerida Groth said: “I am honored to receive this year’s Natalie Miller Fellowship. It is a fantastic opportunity through my company Generate Crew to continue to advocate for our world-class crews who work so hard to make the magic happen. As the industry grows, we must continue to invest in their development to maintain the high standards Australia is known for. I am grateful that the fellowship recognizes leadership that puts people first, as we build a kinder, stronger and more sustainable screen industry.”
As curator of film at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd (pictured right) curates the Gallery’s acclaimed film program, collaborates with artists on new commissions and organizes time-based art exhibitions. She is also a guest programmer at the Sydney Film Festival, where she curates FLUX: Art and Film, a program that explores new directions in the moving image. Receiving the grant comes at a crucial time in Ruby’s professional development, as she works to relaunch the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ long-running film program as Sydney Cinémathèque in 2026.
Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd said, “I am honored to be one of this year’s Fellowship recipients. Natalie Miller is an icon of independent film distribution and exhibition, and I look forward to continuing the work of forging a more expansive film ecosystem in this country.”
Chair of the Natalie Miller Fellowship Sasha Close said: “The NMF is pleased to recognize two recipients this year from different sectors of the Australian display industry. Each presented a compelling vision for leadership – proposals that not only outlined thoughtful and strategic plans for their own professional development, but also demonstrated a clear and valuable contribution to the Australian display industry. I commend both recipients for their proposals and look forward to observing their leadership journeys, which will surely bring lasting benefits to our industry.”
Established in 2011 in recognition of the unique contribution of pioneer Natalie Miller AO to the screen industry, the Natalie Miller Fellowship is open to established women working in the Australian screen industry and aims to provide financial support to pursue professional development in their field.
The Natalie Miller Fellowship is the only grant of its kind in the country and is proudly supported by title sponsor Universal Pictures, with the studio providing $15,000 in cash per year through 2024 and 2025 to support the nonprofit’s mission to provide financial assistance to female and female-identifying screen executives to pursue professional development in their fields through attachments, internships, secondments, travel and other means to reach their full leadership potential.
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